DISGRACED former minister Peter Mandelson was back under fire last night accused of manhandling a television cameraman.

The BBC journalist fell to the ground claiming he had been deliberately pushed as Mr Mandelson and his entourage swept into a church service during a visit to his Hartlepool constituency.

But a spokesman for the beleaguered former Northern Ireland Secretary last night insisted that Mr Mandelson had accidentally brushed against 33-year-old Peter Thompson during a media scrum.

The incident happened after a day in which rumours swept through Westminster that Mr Mandelson was about to announce his resignation from the House of Commons.

Mr Mandelson returned to his constituency to attend a service at St Hilda's Church to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Hartlepool's royal charter

Surrounded by plain clothes security officers, the MP marched through a crowd of reporters determinedly ignoring their questions.

Mr Thompson claims he was shoved by the former minister and sent sprawling backwards.

Mr Mandelson suddenly stopped and stared straight ahead before resuming the short walk to the church entrance.

Mr Thompson said: "He pushed me out of the way without even asking me to step to one side. I couldn't believe it."

But Mr Mandelson's agent, Steve Wallace, denied that there had been a deliberate shove. He said: "Peter did not see the guy as he was walking and it was very dark.

"He is concerned about the cameraman and he hopes he is OK. He is an ex-Cabinet minister not a pop-star and it is just not imaginable he would deliberately shuffle into this man."

Afterwards, Mr Mandelson was whisked to Hartlepool Sixth Form College where he attended a presentation evening.

The controversy flared on the day that worried Labour activists revealed Hartlepool has been reclassified as a marginal seat in spite of the fact that Mr Mandelson had a 17,500 majority in 1997.